JSaw - The Constant Limit Poker Grinder

Final hand of the 2006 WSOP

2006-08-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Nice Poker Highlight Video

2006-08-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Phil Ivey Monte Carlo Millions Schooling

2006-08-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Cleaning out the Email

2006-04-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Blogger,

As a respected and widely read poker blogger, I thought you might be interested in learning a little more about eCOGRA, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and helping online gamers.

Basically, eCOGRA is like a second insurance for players out there. It would be very helpful for your players and readers to know the benefits of a gaming site that holds the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal.

Many online casinos and poker rooms hold the seal, and eCOGRA is determined to make that number grow, for the players. With eCOGRA certified casinos and card rooms, players have someone to turn to if they feel that they have been cheated or mistreated in any way.

Below I have attached the latest news from eCOGRA. If you feel that your readers would benefit from knowing about an organization like this, feel free to post this on your Web site – and, of course, if you have any questions, either from yourself or your readers, feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Sana

The Fair Gaming Advocate for the international standards body eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) has reported on player disputes with "Play It Safe" seal operations for the year 2005.

The eCOGRA "Play It Safe" Seal is awarded to operators that meet the organization's strict standards for fair gaming, player protection and responsible conduct.

In her preamble to the report, FGA official Tex Rees remarks that the level of complaints remains remarkably low at seal venues and a minute percentage of the total volume of business involved.

The 66 major online casinos and poker rooms that hold the seal attract the majority of online casino business, making for billions of transactions every month.

In the current report, the Advocate reports that a total of 439 complaints had been received during 2005, although 103 of these were in respect of non-eCOGRA sites where players do not fall under eCOGRA protection. eCOGRA mediates only in cases where it has authority over the behaviour of the operation concerned.

Of the remaining 336 complaints, 114 were lodged over the past three months, an indication of the heightened profile of the player protection organization, general increased levels of business and generous support of eCOGRA from leading online gambling portals.

"Of the 336 disputes that we received, 10 percent turned out to be valid complaints demanding redress," says Rees. "Seventy percent of these were made up of bonus and cash-in issues, almost entirely to do with Terms and Conditions or Support errors."

Over 95 percent of disputes were dealt with in less than 48 hours, a general benchmark for the industry that remains unmatched by either individual webmaster 'watchdogs' or comparable channels instituted by other industry organizations, and one achieved due to the rapid cooperation of seal venue managements, says Rees.

I've not forgot about you Blog

2006-03-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog...

I'm sorry I've not been posting to you. You've done nothing to me, yet I have not spent the time with you I should have. I hope you forgive!

Been a busy time....

I've been spending a lot working on 72os.com. We've done a ton of work on the site and have added a lot of new features.

Also I've launched a new site:

OnlinePokerPodcast.com launched its first poker podcast this week. The subscription-based, weekly podcast contains information on all areas of online poker, and will be available weekly for downloading to all digital players. This informative and entertaining new show will offer online poker players access to online tournament information, poke site reviews, poker room promos, and a tip here and there. Created and hosted by Chip "Stacks" McGee, the OnlinePokerPodcast will be listed on most major podcast directories including iTunes and at http://www.onlinepokerpodcast.com.

"A podcast it the perfect way for us to reach out to online poker players. With over ten million digital players being sold, integrating this new technology we have the potential to reach out to more consumers than ever before," stated Chip McGee. "The Online Poker Podcast will keep online poker players update on everything happening in the online poker world, while allowing them to get there poker fix when they are away from the tables."

Online Poker Podcast plans to promote the show with contest, giveaways, and online freerolls for its listeners.

With all this going on I've been playing a lot less poker. I've been mostly getting a few hours in at UB at the $3/6 tables or just playing a few SnGs here and there. Hopefully my next post will not take as long.

Atlantic City Trip

2005-11-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Grengrad (Dorian) and I just got back in from checking out Atlantic City. We had a blast and it was nice to get a chance to meet Dorian in person. This was my first time playing in a casino and I got a chance to play both cash ring games and a tournament. If you've never had a chance to play live I would suggest you take the time to head out and try it. It is a very good experience to and to your poker resume. So our trip went a little like this.

Friday

I head out of Tri-Cities Airport around 12:30 to find I am on the smallest plane that Northwest Airlines has, and to top that they have sold the flight out. I'm 6'3" and to say the least the 2 hour flight to Memphis was not a fun one at all. And to top it off I had a guy beside me that reminded me of the "Monk" character on USA. I asked where he was heading and he said “Detroit I hope,” implying if we didn't crash before then. Then on the trip there he fell asleep and jumped awake any time the plane turned or made any sudden movement. So to say the least, I was glad to get on the ground in Memphis (and yes I did fly west to get to Philly). I didn't have much time to mess around before my flight left out of Memphis to Philly so I had to get to my gate quickly, where we boarded the plane only to sit and wait to get in the air due to weather in Philly. The flight wasn't that bad and the plane was much bigger so I was able to stretch out some and enjoy the flight a little.

The delay in Memphis did put me landing in Philly later that I thought I would, but Dorian had the same trouble on his flight. After we found each other it was time to find the train to head out of the airport the downtown train station. We find it just outside Dorian's gate only to watch it pull out as we walk up the ramp. So after asking around we found a taxi to get us downtown, maybe in time to catch the 7:15 train to Atlantic City. So after paying $25 to the cabbie for some of the worst driving I've ever seen, we rush in the station to see the train boarding and pulling out again. Oh well, we get the next train at 8:30 and get a chance to eat and get to talk some before heading out. It wasn't too bad of a train ride and for $7.50 a very cheap way to get from Philly to Atlantic City. We get in to Atlantic City around 10:15, unpacked and headed out to the Tropicana which was the closest card room to the motel. After finding out the ropes of the card room there, we got our Trop poker cards and got on the shortest list which was a $4/8 Limit Hold'em Table. As soon as we got on the list they opened up a new table and we were able to sit down quickly. The table had an interested mix of players. I got down at first due to not hitting a flop and the blinds. Later on I was able to get on a nice run by flopping the nuts a couple of times and having the loose players call me down all the way to the river. We played past 4 am and I would have loved to have stayed longer but the travel was starting to set in, so we called it a night. The live play took an orbit or two to get used to everyone, but the hardest part was getting used to the slow play of the game. I love to play limit, but live it is a very slow game. I was able to talk with Dorian and a few of the other players at the table to pass the time, but if I had my pick I think online play would be the way to go. Some excitement from the night was the bartender throwing a drunk out right behind us.

Saturday

After grabbing an over priced lunch we head out to the Taj to check out other games there. As we walked up the sidewalk I see the Taj and all its glory. I must say that my first impression was it was very tacky looking from the outside. As we walk inside it didn't improve much at all. The poker room is not that bad but the decor and look of the rest was just not my style. Sorry Donald, but who ever you hired for that you should fire! We tried to get on the list for a table but there was a long wait so since we also wanted to see the Borgota we heading out by Jitney to get to the Borgota. If you've never been on an Atlantic City Jitney you are missing out. The driver we had was crazy. He was an Asian man in his 50's I’d say; speaking is Spanish half the time. We laughed the whole way there as we held on to the seats for dear life. After getting to the Borgota I was very glad we left the Taj even though it was about a 2 hour wait to get on the $6/12 limit tables. The Borgota is a top of the line casino and has a great card room. They also seemed to have the widest selection of limits and types of games. We played there for about 4 hours and I had terrible luck. I was able to get a big win right of the bat with pocket Queens holding up for a nice pot. A few hands later I get QQ again but an Ace flopped with 5 players still in the hand (yes I raised $12 preflop and 4 other players still called). After that I had the blinds chip a way some and then get AJ hit 2 pair on the turn only to have a player call me down with middle pair on the flop to hit a 2 outer on the river. Then in my BB I have A7s with 4 limpers and Dorian raises with QQ I call and see a flop of As Js 6d and bet out 2 callers so I think ace is not that strong. Turn is a Ks I check MP bets out I call Dorian folds. River is a 10 of spades I check MP bets and I fold. He flips over Qs10d and goes crazy screaming he wants his hat for hitting a Royal Flush. Thing is if I wanted to be a jerk I could have pointed out I didn’t call on the river so his win would not have meet the guidelines for the Royal Flush promo. After a few more hands we decided to head back down the strip closer to our hotel, and we agreed that we liked the play and atmosphere of the Tropicana so we headed out. Since Dorian had played limit Hold’em with me I told him I’d play what ever game he wanted to. We got our name on the list for a $2/4 Omaha Hi/Lo limit table. After the wait at the Borgota I was ready for a long wait but in less than 5 minutes the table was ready. I’ll be the first to admit I’m no Omaha player but only having played the game a few times I didn’t feel like I was the worst player at the table. There was a few good players but there was 3 very loose passive players there that I keep getting good hands paid off from them, so I ended up having a good night. Also the table was full of a bunch of cut ups which made playing into the night very fun.

Sunday

Sunday we woke up to see the sun shining for the first time. While the wind was still brisk it was a very nice day so we walked over the beach first thing and got a couple of pictures and then decided to walk up the boardwalk to the Taj where we were going to play a tournament. It was nice getting to see a little different side of Atlantic City besides the Casinos walking down the boardwalk. It was neat mix of Mom & Pop places beside large corporate businesses. We walked in to the slot side of the Taj and it was very depressing seeing so many people dropping their money in those machines hoping for a big payout. After getting signed up we went out to find the Noodle Bar so we could live up out Rounders experience. After looking around and not being able to find it we settled on a buffet which wasn’t that bad. We still had a few minutes so I drop $5 in a video poker machine. The deck just hit me and was able to double up in about 20 minutes, so I cash out my profits so I can say I’m a profitable video poker player (break even if you count the $5 I dropped in a slot machine at the Trop…it looked like a hot machine). We head back over to the card room to find our seat in the tournament. I get table 20 and Dorian is at 22. My table was a very good table with a bunch of loose players on my left and the tight aggressive players on my left. The tournament I must say was not the best set up. We started out with 5000 in chips but the blinds went up every 20 minutes and antes started after level 2. So either you need to make some moves early or catch some cards early. I was able to steal some blinds and win a few hands in the first hour and ended the first break at around 6500 in chips. First hand I won was with 72, but it was suited when I hit a flush out of the big blind. Dorian did get out to a fast start and was up to 14000 very early in the tournament. After the break I got Kings and push all in preflop. I had just pushed all-in on a steal and thought they would think I was stealing again so I might could get some action this time. It was folded to the small blind who went all in to push the BB out. First thought was he was going to flop over aces on me, but it was Jacks. I felt good but the first card that pops up on the flop was a Jack, I was in trouble but got bailed out on the turn when a King came. This got me up to around 9000 where I was able to stay for a while. The blinds and antes had eaten away at my stack some when I look down at KQos in the big blind and have 5 players limp in the pot. I knew the guys on my right had just limped in for pot odds and I could push them out so I go all in for 6800 where the player under the gun had limp and then decided to call everyone else had folded. I knew this guy was a very passive player and expected him to turn over a big hand, but he flips over J7 hearts. I was feeling good about my odds but the flop came 2 hearts. He didn’t hit the flush but did catch a 7 on the turn to knock me out. It was a very bad feeling having to get up from the table on what I felt was a very bad call. I went over and told Dorian I was out of the tournament and headed out of the card room to clear my head some. When I headed back Dorian had just gotten knocked out after 2 suck outs had caused him to get short stacked and have to push with just about any hand. The Taj was just not a place I wanted to play and Dorian felt the same way, so after Dorian got his $1 chip we headed back to the Trop to end our say in Atlantic City. We both sat down at a $4/8 Limit Hold’em table where the action was the same as the other nights at the Trop, bad. The time we played at the Tropicania did pay off cause we were able to get a comp meal. After a while playing Dorian wanted to play some No Limit and I decided to pass and stay at my bread and butter Limit. Some new blood came to the table and was willing to pay some of my made hands off. Dorian came back after cleaning up in the No Limit game. It was getting close to 3 or 4 so we called it a night. I had thought about staying up all night and just grabbing a shower and heading to the train station, but after having a good night we headed back to get a few hours of sleep before heading out.

Monday

Monday was a long day of waiting and rushing. Some stops I had a hour and a half wait or more some I had 7 or 8 minutes so that was not a fun way to travel. After it was all said and done I pulled in my drive way at midnight. I had a blast and really got my interest in playing poker back up to where it hadn’t been in a long time. It was fun sitting and talking poker with Dorian and getting to hang out. In 2006 I hope to set trip to Vegas, and this time a bunch of 72osers can join us.

Some notes I took a way from the trip.

1. Live play is very very slow. Omaha play is even slower.
2. Tipping dealers cuts in to your profit.
3. If you want to head to a card room and play your game it is very easy to turn a profit
4. Seeing players lose their money was not fun. I like online for this fact since all you see is a screen name.
5. Some reason players will sit down with sunglasses at a $4/8 table. If you don’t want players to pick up on your tells wear a cast so your hands don’t shake.
6. Even dealers don’t know how to play Omaha.
7. Things up North are over priced.
8. I look very young. No one believed I was 28.
9. Trump has no taste. Also the Noodle Bar is nothing like in the movie Rounders!
10. Don’t write a trip report while trying to play online!

Something to work on

2005-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have had the same spot come up a couple of time the last few tournaments I've been in. These 3 times I've come to the final table with a chip lead and with in a couple of hands lost that lead on boarder line hands. It seems when I get in that spot I take the role of "no one is going to push me around" and make a move with a boarder line hand. In spots I may be shouldn't I make a play on coin flips. This is something I hope to get the chance to do again, so I can focus on this and maybe play a little tighter with my big stack...at least until I can get a better read on the other players.

WSOP was fun to watch unfold this year, and it looks like ESPN is going to drag on all year. Watch the WSOP Circuit Event and enjoyed the show Jean-Robert Bellande put on. I just makes me glad I play online so I would have to hear that at my table all night.

Time off and a mini Vacation

2005-07-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Just got in from a mini Vacation this weekend and had a blast. No WIFI...no computer...no poker. Just the Family, fish, and animals.

These digital cameras don't like to shoot underwater but I had a few extra.

Most fun he had all trip a $.50 ride in this car and riding the elevator at the hotel.

My wife didn't want me to do it but I got in the cage to get this shot. Well worth it!

The zoo would not let me take the Zebra I shot home. I wanted the trophy for my living room....For $13 you should get to take any kill home!

Robert Varkonyi Q & A Session

2005-07-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

1. With your win at the 2002 WSOP you got put on the poker map very quickly. What was you poker background prior to the 2002 WSOP?
When I was a kid I loved watching my dad play in small dealer’s choice games with his friends. I started playing nickel, dime, quarter dealer’s choice games in college but we never played any boring games like hold’em! We played all kinds of crazy games with wild cards and “guts” games. One of my favorite games is still “Anaconda 3-2-1” also known as “Pass The Trash” where you get to see 25% of the cards in the deck go through your hand. As for tournaments and the WSOP, seven years before I won I went out to Las Vegas once a year just to play $10K WSOP satellites on the weekend before the main event. I didn’t play any other tournaments until 2001 and 2002 when I splurged and played a little bit at the Taj Mahal in AC and Foxwoods in CT. I actually won myself a $7,600 seat at the Taj Mahal in December 2001.

2. How has the popularity of poker helped you off the tables?
Philosophically speaking, my wife and I always muse how much poker is like life and life is like poker. We’ve gotten some nice comps. I’m being offered a sponsorship and promotion deal with one of the upcoming online poker rooms.

3. What would be your suggestion for a player just starting out in poker? Where would you focus your efforts: Limit vs. No Limit, Ring vs. Tournaments?
Don’t play with more money than you can afford to lose. Although poker is a game of skill it’s also a game of luck. I think it’s safer to start playing Limit Ring games. In a limit game you probably won’t lose all your chips in one hand as you may in a no-limit game. In a ring game you won’t have the increases in the blinds that will force the action. Once you’re comfortable in a limit ring game then you should expand your horizons by trying no-limit games and tournaments.

4. What are you active with away from the tables? And do you consider poker your job now?

I’m involved with a couple of business ventures as well as discussing a sponsorship and promotional deal with an online poker room. Occasionally I give talks on poker at corporate events. My wife and I participate in several poker tournament and casino night charity events each year. Poker is not my full-time job but I play poker every chance I get. I LOVE to play poker!

5. Do you feel like you missed out on any of the fan fair by winning in 2002 vs. 2003 or did it take the Moneymaker story to put poker on the main stream?

I can’t complain about anything. I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world with a happy healthy family. I’ve gotten far more attention than I’ve ever dreamt of especially being a relatively low key, low profile person. 2002 was a watershed year for the WSOP because it was the first time the audience could see the cards and play along. However it wasn’t aired on ESPN until February 2003 only a few months before Moneymaker was crowned the 2003 champion. How can you beat a story with a guy who’s holding two jobs, wins his seat online for $40, never played a live tournament and whose name is Moneymaker? I still don’t believe that’s his real name! (just kidding Chris)

6. Going into the final table back in 2002 what was your thought process before the cards were dealt. And was there a point when you knew you were going to win?

When I sat down and looked around the final table I felt the other players were horrified which got me very excited to play very aggressively. Unfortunately I lost two-thirds of my chips on the first hand dealt where I had a 99 vs Julian Gardner’s AA. That hand created a maniacal table image for me that helped bring me action from the players later. You NEVER know you’re going to win until you have all the chips. The big turning point where I felt I had a good shot was the $2 million pot that I won from John Shipley. I was on the button with JJ and John Shipley was in the small blind with AJ. Before the flop I raised, he re-raised, I went all-in and he called. This hand was devastating for Shipley who started the day as chip leader and propelled me into the lead that I was able to hold until I won.

7. How would you describe your style of play now? And what areas of you game do you think you need to work on most?

Whether I win or lose my goal is to play perfect or near perfect poker. I’m very satisfied if I can walk away knowing that I didn’t make any big mistakes. I play extremely analytically which includes playing my opponents cards. Speculating on my opponents’ cards is more a matter of instinct but gets incorporated into my analytical thinking. After I’m done playing I will reflect on critical hands and turning points to evaluate whether I properly considered all the information and whether there was a better way to play for an alternative outcome. The area of my game I need to work on is [censored].

8. When you are at the tables what area do you see most amateurs should work on?

The biggest mistake amateurs make is playing too many hands because they are often overvaluing their hands. This is the way most new players start out but as with anything else we all learn from experience.

9. What are, in your opinion, "must have" skills to have success as a pro poker player?

There is a large skill set to be a successful pro poker player however the “must have” is DISCIPLINE. In the long run you must maintain military-like DISCIPLINE to be successful.

10. Has internet pokers popularity changed the way you play poker in any way?

Yes and no. Yes because there are a lot of relatively new players coming online. No because I’m just adjusting my play the way I would with any table of relatively new players.

11. We have a large number of players just getting starting out and working with a smaller bankroll. What advice would you give to someone with a bankroll of $100?

With a $100 bankroll I would suggest starting out in penny games and slowly work your way up into higher stakes at your own pace and comfort level.

12. What percentage of your winnings did you put away towards you poker bankroll from the WSOP?

That’s between me, my accountant and barber!

13. Do you have any big wins with the power hand 72os?

Once I limped in on the big blind with 72os, flopped a full house, slow played to the river and won a monster pot from a guy holding AA! I cracked those aces like a couple of farm fresh eggs!

Phil Hellmuth eating his words after Robert's victory in 2002!

Back to the grind!

2005-06-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten back to the grind. After taking a lot of time off from hitting the tables hard, I've been back grinding it out for the last 3 or 4 weeks. I must say that I've really enjoyed it too. Some due to my cards running good, but most of it just cause it is fun again. I've been making some really good plays and play some nice tight/aggressive poker. I can tend to over play some drawing hands or push to hard with a thin edge, but I've really kept that part of my game under control. Back to the tables.

Since I don't have a ton to play here are some good reads:

Going Pro Part I by Ed Miller
Going Pro - Part II by Ed Miller
Tilly wins event at World Series of Poker

Isn't there a saying about the "Best laid plans"?

2005-06-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

If there is anyone out there that regularly check my blog, sorry! I have been a slacker and well a....slacker. No real reason I've just not been posting and keeping up with my blog. I've been trying to get a lot of work done on 72os.com and have gotten a nice Amazon store added, a shop with all the 72os.com Gear, working on adding a poker quiz section, and have Season 5 of the 72os.com Freeroll Tour going. Everything is coming along nicely and I hope to have some quizzes up by tomorrow. I've also got to finish Part 2 of the bankroll management article and part 2 of the freeroll strategy.

On the personal front I'm loving my new job and the new hours. It’s been a long time since I've made it home with the sun still up. I've been able to spend a little more time with the family and get some work done around the house. I'm also back to hating mowing the yard. That was short lived, and I don't know what came over me the time I posted I enjoyed mowing. It must have been gas fumes.

I've been on a good run on the tables. I've been playing mostly $3/6 at Noble and Ultimate Bet. Some times on Noble I've had to play $2/4 but the players will call down with such sup-par hands that you get a nice earn rate each night. I've been keeping up with the WSOP and wishing I was out there for some of the events. I'm going to add that as one of my goals for 2006. I do have one buddy out there playing and am enjoying the updates he sends back. Ken best of luck and hope you get a bracelet.

Till next time!

Live MMT......Focus Damn It

2005-05-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I don't have a great report to give on my live tournament this weekend. I must say that after the 4th hour I started to loose focus and got very stupid for lack of a better word. This was my fist time playing a live MTT and must say I have some work to do. I wasn't getting many cards as matter of fact I only remember playing 5 to 6 hands not in the blinds. After it was over I knew I should have been more aggressive early, but the quiality of the players was one where I didn't think much bluffing would work since they were just as likely to call with bottom pair, as to slow play AA. I do have to say that I saw the worst play of AA by a player in a MTT. Guy limped in UTG checked a called min. bets all the way down to the river where he rivered the BB to hit runner runner 8's to the BB's flopped 2 pair. Oh well I have some work to do on my live tournament play, just hope I get a few more chances this year to play in some.

On the personal front, I started my new job today. All paper work today, but I can tell already that it is going to be a good place to work. Plus I love the fact that I'm getting home at 5:30 now with the sun still out! Heck this is 2 blog post with in 4 days, I may get the hang of this yet!

Students head to Las Vegas to live off their winnings

Jackpot! Steve Lipscomb & The WPT

New Job more time for poker?

2005-05-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

I start a new job next week and it will be the first 9 to 5 that I've had in a long time. Wonder if I can adapt to a normal work schedual. I think it will give me more time to have freed up to play and keep this blog updated. I have got back to the tables a little more in the past 2 weeks. I've not really grinded it out at the tables since November. I may have to change the title to my blog if I don't get back to it. Got a big poker weekend coming up too. Local bar is having a freeroll for a trip to the WSOP (not main event) , you had to play x number of events over the year. I wanted to get a couple of MTT under my belt before Saturday so I played the $5 MTT on UB last night and played one of my best tournaments, till the final table. I came in to the final table with the chip lead but didn't keep playing my A game and ended up taking 6th. I'm going to try and get some pics of 4flush and I in action at the event this Saturday.

Something I had wrote on 72os.com:

Bankroll Road Map $1 to $100 Stage

I wanted to take out and layout one of the most powerful tools you have to at your disposial in the world of Online Poker. There are many, many skills that you need to have to play winning poker. These Skills can take a long time to learn and even a longer time to master, but while learning these skills poker players can still be profitable players. I'm not talking about learning starting hand charts, pot odds, how to read players, or changing gears in your game. I'm talking about laying out a road map on how to build your bankroll through poker bonuses. Every online card room offers these bonuses either in the form of first time sign up bonuses or random redeposit bonuses. No matter what size your poker bankroll is these bonues can help you grow your roll. I'm going to lay out the map by stages in your starting bankroll. This is a map and I'm just showing you starting points for each of the stages, where you want to go from there is up to you. This advice is also coming from a limit ring game player, and can be applied to a No Limit ring game player, but if the majority of your time is spent as a tournament player then bonus chasing is not going to be that effective of a tool for you. In this first article I will be covering state one: Players with a bankroll of $100 or less.

First stage is the bankroll of $100 or less. This is where I started out when I made my first deposit in the Poker World. I'm not going to get in to what limt you should play in detail in this article that will come later, but I will touch on it some. With a $100 or less you are not really going to be able to maximize any bonus out there and I would recommend going to a site that offers a 50% or higher sign up bonus. Save these sites till you get your bankroll built up and you can get the full bonus. Also before you get started take the time to sign up for a Neteller account. The speed of transfer and easy of use are a must for all poker players. These are the sites I would suggest as a starting point:

The Gaming Club - Deposit at least $20 to earn a bonus of up to $300. This is a very easy and fast bonus to work off. They also have some of the best low limt tables starting at $0.05/.10 for both Limit and No Limit. On month here and you can easily have your bankroll at $400.
Paradise Poker - Paradise Poker is pleased to give a 25% Deposit BONUS to every new player on their first purchase. Be sure and use bonus code FIRST25 when purchasing. The Paradise bonus will not be able to be maxed out with a $100 deposit but it is capped at $50 so its not a big bonus to chase once your bankroll gets bigger. Paradise also has a great selection of low limit and No Limit tables.

Royal Vegas Poker- This site is much like The Gaming Club. The bonus is a little different. If your bankroll is $0 you can start at Royal Vegas Poker. They give all new sign-ups $10 just for opening an account. Turn that $10 in to a nice bankroll then deposit and take advantage of their 40% bonus. Tables are the same as TGC and run off the Prima Network

PokerStars Rarely does PokesStars offer a bonus but when they do it is usually around 20%. They are also another site that has some good low limit and No Limit play. The players there for the most part are good and a tight aggressive player can have a good earn rate at the lower limit tables.
InterPoker This would be the last of the 4 I would suggest for a bankroll under a $100 but with their monthly $90 - $100 bonuses it is hard to pass up. Players only have to play 450 raked hands to earn the bonus which allows you to quickly work this one off and be on to another site. The only draw back to IP is the fact that the lowest limit tables are $1/2 and No Limit is $0.50/1. So this would be a site for players who's skills are higher than their bankroll.

Best of Luck growing your bankroll.

Next stage is the $499 to $100 bankroll range.

Start them out young!

2005-05-16T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm a blog Slacker

2005-05-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to post for over a week now and really not had anything to say. I've not been playing that much poker over the past 2 weeks. Done a little grinding on AP working off some of the bonus and played some SnGs goofing off with friends. So I've not got that much to post about in the poker world.

In other parts of my life I found that I like to do something I use to hate. I’ve mowed my grass 3 or 4 times so far this year and have found it to be a great time for me to get some free time and think. Between work, having a growing 2 year old, wife, and poker there is not much time just to be able to get a way and reflect or brainstorm with out getting interrupted, but when I’m mowing for the hour it takes me it is my free time to let my mind wonder. But if you do see me in a John Deere place please shoot me I don’t like mowing that much.

Interesting Poker Links:

Poker craze: A younger generation feeding the frenzy

17 Tech students guilty in poker ring

Push Made To Legalize Poker In N.C.

PokerDiagram podcast

Josh Arieh Interview

2005-04-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

With winnings of over 3 million dollars — 29 year old tournament poker player Josh Arieh has been featured on ESPN, Fox Sports, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and Atlanta Magazine. Josh's style embodies the "new breed" of poker professional - combining intuition, relentless aggression and subtle gear changes to keep his opponent guessing and maximizing profit potential.

Josh recently finished 3rd in the 2004 World Series of Poker on ESPN and has a World Series of Poker title in Limit Holdem in 1999 and a 2nd place finish in the 2000 World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha event to Johnny Chan. He has numerous other tournament victories and final table television appearances. Josh has played for over 12 years in the Atlanta area and has garnered a reputation as a tough high limit player specializing in all games (No limit and limit holdem, pot limit omaha, omaha 8 or better and 7 card stud). Josh has played in over 20 big buy-in poker tournaments ($10,000.00 or higher buy-in) and has earned the respect and friendship of fellow touring poker pros. Josh now has his website up and going and can be viewed at www.josharieh.com.

1. Josh Was 3rd in the 2004 WSOP and another good showing on a WPT event your earnings at the tables have seen a nice padding. How has the popularity of poker helped you off the tables?

Josh Arieh: The public response has been amazing. I never dreamed that i would be making money for showing up somewhere!!! Who the hell wants to pay me to go somewhere??? I am having a ton of fun with the new popularity of poker and am extremely thankful for my timing in doing well. I am currently working with bodog.com as a professional poker player and endorsing the site. I am part of the inaugural poker card set to be released soon by Upper Deck playing cards. There are so many things going on right now and if i am lucky enough to be part of a small percentage of them then i am one lucky man!!!!!

2. Many people might not know but you’re no over night success story, you’ve been playing for quite some time. What has been your road to success?

JA: Man, what a long road its been, ive been pumped up, broke, pumped up and broke again. Ive gotten to the top, hit the bottom, then almost gotten to the top again and saw my dream slip thru my fingers.... I can honestly say that i am one of the luckiest people on the face of the earth. I have a beautiful loving wife. Two AMAZING children and a I play a game for a living. Even before the WSOP i was doing well in live games and coming very close in the major tournaments. My life was great and I could honestly feel that success was just over the horizon... sorry for rambling..... i would say my success basically comes from being very motivated, always staying focused, and remembering that no matter how bad times get at the tables, it will always turn around... and believe me... they do

3. What would be your suggestion for a player just starting out in poker? Where would you focus your efforts: Limit vs. No Limit, Ring vs. Tournaments?

JA: Definitely no limit holdem tournaments... they are eveyrwhere and thats where the big scores are... wins are few and far between, but the experience you gain in all the tournaments is priceless.... say 5 years down the road you are in a pot in a high pressure situation and you remember a pot that you played many years ago???? the experience you gain is pricelss... i cant express it enough

4. You’re out of Atlanta, do you find it harder to be a top pro and not be based out of Las Vegas or California?

JA: The flights wear on me sometimes... but being out of atlanta i am 4 hrs away from anywhere.(direct on delta)... i dont like playing live because its too slow, so i am not missing out on any action in the cardrooms... I love Atlanta, i grew up there.... i wont be leaving there for a long long time... i just bought a new house there and plan on raising my family in the south

5. Do you have any big wins with the power hand 72os?

JA: LOL!!! man, i play lots of hands and hate folding, but 7-2os??? i gotta draw the line somewhere.... my rule is this... if i can make a straight or a flush... im usually in there :)

6. Given your sometimes-questionable behavior shown in the WSOP coverage, I would like you to ask if you are doing anything specific in order to act more appropriately at the tables? (Sometimes temper issues, etc., are not easily corrected.) Related to that, I would like to ask your opinion of Greg Raymer. - Poker Elmo

JA: LOL... new this was coming... ummmm... emotions are part of competition and i am a very emotional person.. i do my best not to be an ass, but sometimes i cant help it... i love winning and also cant stand losing. I cant promise anything, but i will make a conscience effort at being a "nicer" person at the table.

7. Do you feel like you were fairly portrayed by the ESPN WSOP producers? If no, then why not? Pwtjax

JA: First off i want to thank Norman Chad for being such an ass:)... but to answer your question, yes and no.... i have never been looked at like an ass, but i did it and they rolled the tape... yes they editted it quite a bit... but i gave them the footage to work with.... but i promise u one thing... as you guys get to know me better, you will go back and watch it and say... hmmm.. he wasnt THAT bad... or maybe you will hate me more... who knows...

8. I'd like to hear your assessment of Greg Raymer and David Williams and their plays at the final table in the 2004 WSOP - given that Raymer declared that Arieh was his toughest opponent and you were much less complimentary when he was knocked out. Raymer's assessment of the hands was very interesting - would be good to hear your view. evil_roy

JA: Raymer played great... he was the only other player at the table that i felt was not afraid of losing... i knew it would be me or greg crowned champion... he played the best, therefore he is world champion... David was very inexperienced at the time and showed amazing heart that not many amatuers could do... since then david has become a great player himself and is constantly working on his game.... they are definitely two guys that i dont want to have to sit at the table with...

9. Have you ever been in a fight over a poker game? SRH

JA: LOL... um kinda... well i didnt have much of a say so of the matter... i was 19 and playing in a 5-10 game... a freind of mine was playing on his case money and it was his sons birthday the next day.... we got involved in a big pot and i told him to fold on the river.... i got called in another spot and asked the guy to chop... my friend picked my cards up and before i knew it i was laid out on the floor with a broken nose.... i learned a valuable lesson that day.... the lesson i learned really saved my ass one time in a home game robbery... a guy in the game was losing his ass and throughout the evening everytime i won a pot i would throw him a $5 chip.... when it was time to cash out he went into the bathroom and came out with a 9 mm handgun that looked like a shotgun... he said "all i want is what i have lost over the last month"...(about $7k)... the gun was to my back and i was in the middle of cashing out... i had $600 in cash on the table and he asked me "josh, how much did you win", i replied "fa fa fa four hundreeeeed" , he said "kid, you deserve it, pick your money up"...WHAT???? we just got robbed and i didnt lose a penny... he proceeded to take every penny from the house man and got out of dodge.... so the lesson i learned was to not always think about myself at the table.... sometimes people are in extremely weak states of mind and there is no telling what they will try... making friends with this guy throughout the evening may not have only saved me $600, it may have saved my life.

10. In regards to final table play in a large multi table tournament, what are the top 3 pieces of advice/strategies you would use to attempt to finish 1st? J Mega

JA: Ummm??? get lucky??? no... i would say dont be afraid to take a gamble... its very hard to go wire to wire in a tournament taking huge edges, when you build up chips and can afford to take a risk, do it... dont sit on chips and try to move up in money... go for the gusto, be the bully

11. IS THERE ANY PROPER OR IDEALISTIC PLAY RATIOS IN POKER WINNING PROCESS, SUCH AS RAISE VS. CALL, CALL VS HOLD, AND BET VS CHECK? -

JA: There are very few absolutes in poker... every different table requires a different game plan... raising vs some opponents may work, when the exact same hand may come up and calling is the correct thing to do... always evaluate your opponents and force them to do things they are uncomfortable with doing... if they like seeing flops cheap... raise it up... if they like raising and taking it preflop, call em and make em see flops.... a lot of pros have a hard time adjusting to certain situations because they are one dimentional players... always try to mix it up and learn how to get comfortable in every aspect of the game.

12. #1 want to play a heads up for 10k? KSapp79

JA: ummm.. ok

13. What are, in your opinion, the three "must have" skills to have success as a pro poker player?

JA: Heart, money management, and self discipline( with you being your own boss, you have to get up and work on days that you really dont want to... there is no one to answer to, but when the bills get to rolling in, its you that suffers..

14. Has internet pokers popularity changed the way you play poker in any way? 4Flush

JA: Its definitely improved my game... i got hours and hours of experience i would never have been able to get

15. Thanks for your time, my question is what you think about ESPN's Tilt and it's portrayal of the world of professional poker? Also, how do you think "Tilt" will ultimately be viewed by the public, as a true view into poker or an over-sensationalized "worst-case scenario"? evilcheeba

JA: Tilt is what poker would be if hte Sopranos ruled the poker world... i couldnt believe that ESPN showed the show. ESPN is putting a big stake in poker and Tilt definitely set poker back a few years... Professional poker is nothing like that and i sure hope that there wont be a season 2

16. What advice would you give to someone with a bank roll of $100? whitley69

JA: KEEP YOUR DAY JOB!!!!! no... it depends what you are trying to accomplish... if you want entertainment.. play a $5 tournament every night...if you want to try to start your poker career off $100, play some .25c-.50c limit and gradually move up... i would honestly say wait until you can afford a bigger poker bankroll before you try to start your poker career

Thanks for reading and sorry if i seem a bit bitter, its the night before day 4 of the WPT championship and at the end of the 4th level today i had 250k and now i have 22k :(

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and best ouf luck at the tables!

Just some stuff I've found

2005-04-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Superior to any other product of its kind on the market, Poker Academy adjusts to each individual player using advanced AI. This means staying power. Poker Academy’s AI adds to the long-term playability of the game so users won’t get bored by figuring out simple easy-to-beat computer opponents. This also means Poker Academy will be the most popular game in its class because it truly helps people become better players by teaching them how to bluff, semi-bluff, and use math and odds to WIN.

JSaw in action!

Are you a top online player? Then your name should be listed here.

Internet sites show poker pros the money

Players aren't bluffing in logo battle

Good words to hear!

2005-04-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Rounders: run_at_it.wav

Got a Question for Josh Arieh?

2005-04-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've set up a question and answer session with Josh Arieh, and will be taking question to send to him for the next 2 weeks. If anyone has anything to ask Mr. Arieh either post here or on the 72os.com Forum.

I've been busy working on the new layout on 72os.com and have not has a chance to do as much posting as I would like. Also next Sunday Season 4 of the 72os.com Freeroll Tour is about to kick off. If interested sign up! All events this season will be on Noble Poker.

I'm the "Bad Boy of Blogging" or the "Blogger Brat"

2005-03-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ok I just finished reading the Phil Hellmuth chat log on Iggy's Blog and I will now be the self appointed "Bad Boy of Blogging" or the "Blogger Brat" for marketing purposes just like Mr. Hellmuth. From now on you will see me post with nothing but black fonts and you must invision me using my hands to talk when you read my post. Phil always suprises me with how big his ego is and how out of touch with the real world he is. How is Phil a "Bad Boy"? Cry Baby yes, Bad Boy no...If this sticks to him it will be better marketing than the X10.com cam.

There was one relpy in the text that really did get me thinking(watch out). $1-2 million a year is ok....

Matt (Rochester, NY): Do you make the majority of your money during live games, online, or through your countless endorsements?

SportsNation Phil Hellmuth: Endorsements. I supported myself but until 2002 I was never really paid any money outside of being a pro poker player. I've been lucky in real estate and the stock market. But in 2002 I got big endorsement streams coming in from all kinds of different projects. My clothing line alone, who knows how much money I will make from that. I'm very blessed and lucky to have them. But through my endoresements and such, I could make about $400 million. In poker, $1-2 million a year is OK.

Post from Daniel Negreanu's Blog:

Chau head off to meet the others at 9:00am while Gus, Phil, and myself all decided to stay in San Diego all day and keep playing. Each of us was stuck (still losing) but I was clearly in the worst shape. At my low point, I topped the 1.3 million dollar mark.

How can Daniel be willing to drop $1.3 million in on session and Phil say $1-2 million is a good year?

Some Cool and Some Not So Cool Poker Links

2005-03-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some good reads I've found on the net.

America's Greatest Online Poker Player

Paul Phillips Blog

the David Ross Experience

Low-limit Preflop Quiz

A big thanks to Maudie

2005-03-12T17:21:00.000-08:00

I'd like to give a big thanks to Maudie for some great logo and shirt design work. I would recommend Maudie to anyone who has logo or graphic needs!

These are a big improvement over the old logo for 72os.com and do have them for sell on shirts and other items.

Maybe one day I'll see a 72os.com shirt on ESPN!

I found my motivation...or better it found me!

2005-03-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

I have been posting and talking about how I'm having trouble getting back to the tables prior to reaching my goal of $5000. I had posted this on the 72os.com forum:

I'm a planner, always have been always will be (not always writing them down). I've laid out my plan for 2005 in the poker world and have set it into motion this week. After putting $400 into Pacific Poker, I was able to cash $800 out and get a nice 500 chip set for my home games. I'm going to put $600 into FullTilt and get their 100% match, and put the rest in AP once they offer another 15% bonus. I've reached my goal in 2004 of being at $5000 by the years end. I've tapped in to some of that money to pay for Christmas, Lasik, new monitor, and set some back for my property taxes. This is going to leave me with $1800-$2000 to start fresh in the new year. My goal now is to be at 10K to 15K by July, and see if I want to consider playing full time. I'm not going to publicly track this goal dollar wise. I will be giving updates and thoughts on where I'm at, and will let you know where I stand in July.

and had got this response back from a memeber:

Hey Josh, Make you a deal. If u hit $10000 by May 5thI may be willing to fly you and ur family out to vegas to watch me play in a WSOP main event plus stake you in the 1,000 buy in satallite hold'em for a chance to play in the main event.. Just as a added bonus =) The satellite is scheduled for July 6th with the main event starting on the 7th. Good luck to ya man. Set your goals high man, and lets turn 72os.com into a powerhouse.

So am going get back the grinding that I've been use to. This is a goal I'm really going to shoot to reach, but is going to take some good play, good luck, and maybe a few good bonuses here and there. Vegas or bust baby!

Lots of Questions, you got any anwsers?

2005-02-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

"Have a game plan for your tournament. Decide if you are going to start out playing tight in the early rounds, or if are you going to play fast and try to accumulate chips early. Consider adjustments you might make if you get short of chips, if you get a large stack, or how you might adjust to different types of opponents styles.
Be prepared for everything!" - Brad Daugherty

I've got to find out how you get out fast in a tournament with out the deck hitting you in your face. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that I play very tight in the first hour of a tournament. But lately I've been trying to limp with suited connectors and small pocket pairs. For the most part it hasn't worked for me. I use to have a style of play that work very well for me, but I'm off of it.

I've got a poker funk over me right now. I'm not grinding at the limit tables like I use to. I'm not focused like I should be when I sit to play a tournament. I know I'm multi-tasking when I'm playing. Ok now I know it, and have put it in writing I'm going to stop...I hope that is the case.

I quick way to drop $22

2005-02-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

Hand #4470706-5 at Wed9pmB-018 (No Limit tournament Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 16/Feb/05 21:07:08

1Seal1 is at seat 0 with 1455.
CHE55 is at seat 1 with 1445.
SierraFox is at seat 2 with 1635.
pergos57 is at seat 3 with 0 (sitting out).
JSaw is at seat 4 with 1490.
MattieG is at seat 5 with 1500.
PUGSDAD is at seat 6 with 120.
Uroboros is at seat 7 with 2875.
paldonWa is at seat 8 with 1500.
huty is at seat 9 with 2980.
The button is at seat 3.

JSaw posts the small blind of 5.
MattieG posts the big blind of 10.

1Seal1: -- --
CHE55: -- --
SierraFox: -- --
JSaw:
MattieG: -- --
PUGSDAD: -- --
Uroboros: -- --
paldonWa: -- --
huty: -- --

Pre-flop:

PUGSDAD raises to 20. Uroboros folds. paldonWa
folds. huty calls. 1Seal1 folds. CHE55 calls.
SierraFox folds. JSaw re-raises to 110. MattieG
folds. PUGSDAD goes all-in for 120. huty calls.
CHE55 calls. JSaw calls.

Flop (board: ):

JSaw checks. huty bets 10. CHE55 raises to 130.
JSaw re-raises to 890. huty calls. CHE55 goes
all-in for 1325. JSaw calls. huty calls.

Turn :

JSaw goes all-in for 45. huty calls.

Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:

CHE55 shows .
JSaw shows .
PUGSDAD shows .
huty shows .

River :

Showdown:

CHE55 has Kc Qh Qs Qd 8s: three queens.
JSaw has As Qc Qs Qd 8s: three queens.
PUGSDAD has Ad 7d Qs Qd 8s: a pair of queens.
huty has 7s 4s Qs 8s 3s: flush, queen high.

Saturday Night Post: One year of poker!

2005-02-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

I may have come to grips with my time management issues, by learning how to put to use a Palm. I've had this thing sitting around for about 6 months. If you take the time a Palm is more than a date book, to list, and address book. I've been able to download my email to the palm and take it to work and answer a good deal of it in the dead time . I typed this post on it also, so I think I'm going to have more time to devote to my blog, website, and still play poker.

Speaking of Poker, I didn't get a chance to play much of it last week. It was due to choice, not being unable to find time. I did manage to find time to get the Empire Poker $150 bonus, which I have to stay may be the best bonus online. I was able to work it off in 2 days of playing. I don't know of any other bonus of that size that is as easy to clear as Empire. I've also put some money in IP to get their $90 monthly bonus + a $20 bonus they emailed me just to play one raked hand. I should clear that bonus up some time next week, then I will be going back to Full Tilt to make some head way on the bonus I have just sitting there.

I've been laying the ground work for some improvements at 72os.com, so February is going to be a big month for me. Also about this time last year I started playing online poker. I feel I've come along way in that first year and have had a blast along the way. To all the players that have supported me, helped me, lost to me…I say thanks. I hope this next 365 days is just as good.

How to Build a Poker Table!

2005-02-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Finding a good card table is a daunting task without breaking the
budget, especially when one has specific features in mind. One
summer, my friends and I decided to build a poker table since all
the retail tables didn’t suit your tastes. We were avid poker players,
and we wanted to make the experienceas Las Vegas-like as we could.
The most important part to the table was the planning, but in terms
of construction the key elements to our table was the table itself,
the cup holders, the surface and the arm rests. However, all of
the features of the table are for naught if the table isn’t designed
well.

Like a well-written essay, a poker table must have a design. You
can’t start from scratch and have a prize-winning table worthy of
playing with friends. Step one of building a respectable table is
to design it well. The most important thing about a table is its
size. The table should be constructed to comfortably fit as many
people as you can expect to in on the pot. In our case, the table
comfortably seated from four to six. Any more than that and the
spacing was cramped, any less and you’d need a telescopic arm to
pick up cards. The most difficult kind of table to make would be
an oval while the easiest would be a rectangle but what I recommend
is just to curve the corners on a square piece of board like a pool
table. Aside from shape and size, you may wish to incorporate some
other features. Cup holders were a must for us, as well as armrests,
and we decided to use decorative tacks to give the table that extra
look of class. So now that you know what you want out of your table,
time to start building one!

The first step in making a poker table is the construction of the
table itself. Your design should be relatively simple since you want
to make as few mistakes as possible in cutting it. Home Depot is an
excellent source of eight foot by four foot boards, and since that
is a generous size, I’d recommend cutting two feet off the length to
give you a nice six by four foot board. As for the type of board, it
was recommended to us to go with pine, but we opted for high density
particleboard. Poker games can get rowdy very quickly the last thing
you need is for the table to collapse mid-hand. As for the design of
the table, just pencil out the desired shape. Simply, set a center
point and tie a pencil to a string in order to draw neat curves. Once
you have your shape penciled in, a jigsaw will easily remove the
unwanted parts. Now that your board is starting to look like a
table, it is time to add the surface and any built-in features you
might like.

In Las Vegas, all of the card tables have drop boxes to safely store
money in the table itself, as well as cup holders to avoid spills on
the fabric, which is tough to clean. Even the most hardcore poker
players however will not usually have a drop-box in their tables, but
cup holders are a must. If you want to create a lot of work for
yourself, you can include the cup holders in the armrest, but that’s
very difficult to get right. Our solution was to just put them in the
table itself. You can order stainless steel cup holders from a variety
of gambling stores, but we found Home Depot saved our skins yet again.
Some plumbing pipe with a cap works beautifully. Although it seems
simple you need to err on the side caution with your holes being too
small, for if they’re too large, the cups will fall through and the
table is essentially ruined. Simply measure the dimensions and cut
them out with a jigsaw. If they are too small, just sand out the edges
until the cup holders squeeze in nicely and aren’t going to fall out
the bottom. Glue works very well to secure them, as well as
reinforcement like chicken wire stapled to the underside of the table.
Once you’ve got your cup holders in place, you should think about
surfacing your table as well as the armrests.

The surface of your table should be soft and smooth so that the cards
can glide easily across it. We used velvet for our surface and it
worked extremely well and it added a regal look. As for affixing the
surface, a staple gun is a necessity. Just pull the fabric taught and
staple it to the underside of the table. If you have cup holders, just
take a knife and poke a hole through the fabric, without actually
removing it, where your cup holders will be. If you want your table to
be all the more luxurious, you can put a layer of foam or even carpet
underlay below the velvet to make it extra soft. Just use glue and
staples to keep the foam fixed to the table. After you surface the
table, it’s time to put on the armrests. Armrests are difficult, but
they are definitely worth it. For the arm rests, I’d suggest a fabric
like vinyl, although fake leather works nicely too. As for the
dimensions, I’d recommend the armrests be the outer six inches of your
table. This means the fabric should be cut at three times the width,
since it’s going to be filled with stuffing and you want some slack to
staple below the table. Remember to lay the fabric with the side you
want facing up to be placed flat on the table. Staple the fabric down,
and the excess over top of the staples and fix it to the bottom of the
table. Then you can stuff the hollow armrest. Because this process is
very tricky, I suggest making the armrest into sections rather than
trying to do it all at once. Also, make sure you staple all of the
armrest to the table before you decide to work on any one section. The
armrest will look the least professional of your table, and it took us
the longest to complete, but as long as it prevents sore elbows, it
should be considered a job well done.

The table can be considered a job well done if it comes out looking
even slightly professional. As for three men who sat down one weekend
and decided to build a table, our spur-of-the-moment idea turned out
fairly well. The armrests are the most difficult stage, especially
stuffing the last section, but they are definitely worth the trouble.
As long as you spend time planning, your table should come out well.
Just remember, even if your table doesn’t come out perfect, if it’s
usable it’s something to be proud of. Building something from scratch
is much more gratifying than just going out and buying a factory made
card table and it will be more rewarding when it is time to sit down
and play.

You know its time to quit!

2005-02-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Party Poker

Preflop: Hero is SB with , .

UTG calls, MP1 calls, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, JSaw completes, BB checks.

Flop: (6 SB) ,,(6players)

JSaw checks, BB checks, UTG bets, MP1 folds, CO calls, Button folds, Hero calls,
BB folds.

Turn: (4.50 BB) (3 players)

JSaw checks, UTG bets, CO calls, Hero calls.

River: (7.50 BB) (3 players)

JSaw checks, UTG bets, CO raises, JSaw 3-bets, UTG caps, CO calls, JSaw calls.

Final Pot: 19.50 BB

Johnny_Kash shows [ , ] a full house, Fives full of sixes.

dodah shows [ , ] a full house, Sixes full of fives.

JSaw_ doesn't show [ , ] a full house, Fives full of aces.

dodah wins 19.50BB from the main pot with a full house, Sixes full of fives.

Greg Raymer Interview

2005-02-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here is an interview we did at 72os.com with Greg "FossilMan" Raymer. He was a great guy and willing to share his time.

72os.com Q & A Session

1. I have a question regarding AK. How should you go about playing AK off suite preflop? Do you raise hoping to slim the field of players, or do you limp in hoping to attract more players creating a larger pot? I have found that limping with AK can get me into a lot of trouble; people end up hitting their drawing hands and crack my aces or kings. So how would you go about playing AK preflop? Thanks for your time. Imapokerpro

Greg Raymer: Well, there is just too much more to know before I could answer that question. Are we talking a cash game, or tournament? Limit, pot-limit, or no-limit? How deep are the stacks? How skilled are the players? What is your perception of your opponents, and theirs of you? If a tournament, are we early, middle or late? In the money yet, close, or not even close? Heads-up at the end, 3-handed, 4-handed, etc.? If a cash game, how many players? Which cards you’re holding is only a small part of the equation.

However, to answer your question, you would raise much more often than not.

2. Hi Greg. First of all I would like to say congratulations on the win. What I really want to know is where did you get those glasses and where can I buy one of your lucky fossils? Good Luck on your other poker tournaments!!! SexualPanda

Greg Raymer: Well, my website isn’t really up yet, but in the near future you will be able to buy autographed fossils, as well as the sunglasses, on www.fossilmanpoker.com !

3. Hi Greg Would you rather play a tournament online or in live play? What would you list as the pros and cons of both? I hope your winnings have helped you to be closer to your family and enjoy your life a little more. bbgold

Greg Raymer: Thanks. My family likes the new lifestyle a lot in many ways. They don’t like it when I’m away from them for a long time, but they love it when they get to come along with me to Paris and the Bahamas. To your question, I prefer live play when it’s possible, but I spend a lot of time online, due to the convenience factor. I used to spend most of my time, and now spend all of my online time at PokerStars.com.

4. My question is a very simple one: What the heck did you write in your black book after your little showdown with, and your snubbing of, Mike Matusow? roanan1

Greg Raymer: A lot of people ask me that. It was the end of the level, and I was writing down my chip count. Nothing about Mike at all.

5. Hey Greg congrats, I met and talked to you at the st.johns greyhound park poker room celebrity tourney in fla. A few months back.you are a real nice man.my question is what is it like playing next to pros like Lederer, Chan, Ivey and so on? dawgs1010

Greg Raymer: It’s the same as playing with anybody else, only it’s a lot harder to win.

6. Congrats on an outstanding win in WSOP and hope you are really ok after the robbery attempt. What would you consider to be the top 3 attributes of a successful poker player? Thanks for taking the time out to answer our questions. 4Flush

Greg Raymer: Dedication to working on improving their game, intelligence, and self-awareness.

7. Hello Greg, I just wanted to ask ...Where can I get 1 of your fossils? Thanks for your time! TooHot24

Greg Raymer: See above.

8. Congrats on the win Greg - was very impressed with the way you seemed to be in total control throughut the tourney. My question is about becoming a better online player. I'm sure you've faced the same frustrations many of us are facing now (chasers, all-in preflop, especially with the lack of tells. How were you able to overcome this and take your game to another level? TEECEE

Greg Raymer: If you work hard and study hard, and experience a lot in the poker world, you will eventually understand both intellectually as well as emotionally that the mistakes your opponents make are always a good thing, even when they get lucky and beat you. If they didn’t make mistakes, you couldn’t win in the long run. Sometimes, however, getting to that long run is very frustrating.

9. I am curious as to the thought process that went into the All In on the flop. As I recall, you had AQs and the flop was Q xx with the xx putting you on a four-to-the-flush draw. Is this a usual move for you in this situation...ie. top pair, top kicker and a flush draw? Were you tilting a little? Did you have a good read on Matusow? After all, if he had a set, you would have been in a little worse shape. Appreciate your time and look forward to your response.
Steve Hering aka Ramjac7

Greg Raymer: I’m sorry but I’m not sure which hand you mean. In the big hand on TV against Mike, I had AdJd and the flop was T93 with two diamonds, so I did not have a pair when I pushed all-in on the flop. In that hand, Mike was in late position, and raised as the first player to enter the pot. I knew he could be stealing with almost anything, so I reraised with AJs, most likely the better hand. He called, and we saw the flop mentioned above. At that time, I had about 4 times as many chips as were already in the pot. If I bet a normal-sized bet of about the pot, I was pretty sure Mike would raise me all-in, and I would have to call. If I check-raised all-in, I thought Mike would feel potstuck and call. In both of those scenarios, I would have to have the best hand on the river or I would be eliminated. However, if I just push all-in first, I thought he would fold a lot of hands, and I could win a smaller pot without risking elimination. However, he called, and I still had to make the best hand to win. Glad I did. ;-)

10. Can you tell me what are your favorite poker books and do you have any tips for sucessful online tournament play, both single and multi table strategy ?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! RICK OLIVER, H0UDINI

Greg Raymer: The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is the best poker book out there. It is the foundation of a great game, whether you want to play holdem, stud, tournaments, whatever. My best tip is to read this and other books, go to online poker chat sites, and do everything else you can to try and make your game a little better every day.

11. What advice would you give to someone with a bank roll of $100? whitley69

Greg Raymer: Play in small stakes online games to build up your bankroll. With games starting as low as 1 penny-2 penny no-limit holdem, you should be able to grow from almost any starting size.

12. Hi Greg, Are you writing a book or have any other projects going on? RaalphD6

Greg Raymer: I am writing a book to be published by Two Plus Two Publishing, the publisher of books by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and other great poker writers. Look for it by late spring.

13. Which do you find harder to play live or online tournaments? JSaw

Greg Raymer: Online, because you can’t pick up any tells.

14. Do you have any big wins with the power hand 72os? JSaw

Greg Raymer: Sure. All the time. As long as nobody raises my big blind.

Where is my luck!

2005-01-30T14:12:00.000-08:00

I've not had what I would call a good finish in a money MTT in a couple of weeks now some of it has been a bad play by me or not getting the right cards at the right time. But some of it has been I've been with out luck. I was playing a $5 MTT on UB last night and get in the SB. Blinds are 20/40 and 4 players have limped in so I also just limp. Flop comes

It is checked to MP who fires out 140 and called by the button. I'm sure I have the best hand right now so I bet the pot 7oo to get reraised by EP. MP folds Button calls I raise 45 more to go all in. I thought EP my have slow played a set on me but I had a feeling that my 8's were good. The players flip and EP shows and Buttons shows . I was glad to see there was no set and in fact I was ahead in the hand. I thought also with both players being on the flush draw I wound be good as long as they didn't spike an Ace or King.

Boy was I wrong...the turn brings the spade and I'm gone. I still think I made the right play here and would have been in great shape if my favorite held up!

And here is another hand where luck is not helping me out. Today in the ITH event I'm short stacked (after a bad play with 77). I get all my money in preflop with and am Heads up vs to see this flop:

I've now got a pair of queen great, but the turn brings the so I've now got the flush draw, queen, and ace for the win.

I catch a blank on the river. I know these are spots I don't want to get in, but it looks like I could get luck ever now and then. I just hope my luck turns in the right event so these suckouts and non lucky hands are made worth while!

My limit game is going good right now. I'm at UB working of one of my last bonuses to clear. After this I'll just have Full Tilt to work off. January got off to a rough start but has been a good month over all.

It's hard for a Grinder to find time to post!

2005-01-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

I know I posted that I would do better the first of the year at keeping the blog updated, but I have failed. It is hard to pull myself a way from the tables to post. Guess I'm still working on this time manament thing. No big updates. I've won 3 live SnGs this year, which has been a nice change of pass to get to play some live events. Rumors has it Cherokee, NC is getting a cardroom but not much poker action in the hills of SW Virginia.

I hope to be a better blogger for this day forward!

First "live" events!

2005-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I played in my first live tournament. A bar has fromed a poker league that plays 10 player SnGs where you earn points toward prizes. Each player has to play 12 events, but can play more and have their top 12 finishes count. I'm not 100% sure yet on how the prizes are going to work, but at the end of they season a 2005 WSOP seat will be up for graps. I live not to far from fellow ITHer and Blogger Vatrlrman, so I asked him if he wanted to meet me after work and we would go check out the local poker scene. I had been very excited about getting to play live, and wanted to see if I could. We get there about 15 mins before it is about to start, and see it is a bunch of regulars that know each other pretty well. I had talked to BD the night before on IRC and he had given me some pointers and a link to a Caro video that helped.

First event - The first event starts right at 8:00pm everyone is given a stack of 3500 chips (5 - $500 & 10 - $100) with blinds starting out at $100/$200 on 30 min. levels. I was cold deck the whole event. One hand I should have taken down was my pocket 8s I limp in for $200 to get raised another $300. I call the beat to see a flop of 10s 2s 7s . The hand is check around on the flop. The 3c comes on the turn. I should have took a shot at the pot with 5 people in the hand, but for some reason checked. The river brought a 5d two players got in a battle and I folded my hand. One was playing Ac4c and river a str8, and the other had two pair. The player with 2 pair was very hard to play with (more will come on him later), but it was very interesting to see all the styles of play at the table. Most of the play was very passive, and sometime you could see a pained look on the players face as they made a call with overcards or chasing str8s. For this event I basiclly folded my way into the top 3 only to look over and see Vatrlrman had done the same. I'm down to 2200 UTG with K10os and push all in. Big stack calls with 68os and gets an 8 on the flop to knock me out. I'm not very impressed with play, but really didn't get the cards in this one to do much. So VA gets HU with the chip leader with about T$2000 vs. T$28600. Well they are heads up for about 20 to 25 mins. and VA has the guy going allin with not much left to pull off a very nice come back win. The guy ended up telling VA that he just wanted a top 3 finish for the points, but this was just to cover up the fact he got waxed HU.

Event 2 - After a short break we play another SnG. After doing some thinking I know I have to get out to a chip lead early and start putting some pressure on the guy/gals early. Well it happened, but not how I really wanted it to go down. On the first hand I get Ac7c in ep. I limp for $200 and get raised $500 from the player in event 1. He was drinking pretty good in event one, but must have went str8 to the bar after he busted out because his eyes are almost shut together. I call his raise along with 2 other players to see a flop of 6d 8h 9c. Ok I've now got a OESD and a back door flush. I bet $600 in to the pot and get everyone out but the beerman, who looks at his cards shakes his head then calls. Turn is the 9h ...ok I want this pot right now! I think for a second and feel a $1000 bet will not move him off this pot, so I push "all in". He sit a second and thinks then I see him reach for his chips...the bottom falls out of my stomach and in a drunken slur he says "Call". The dealer says flip them and I keep thinking no way he has a 9. Sure enough he doesn't have a 9, he has Q6os and called me with bottom pair. Well I've got 11 outs to save me...bam 5d on the river! Woot I give a fist pump (only time I broke from my poker face). Now I'm up to $6500+ in chips. 3 hands later I limp in the BB with AA (I know in this post I've said I limped a lot, but that was not how I played most of the night). 5 players see the flop of 2d Js Ah. The small blind bets out $400...I raise it $900 (thought I grabbed 4 $100 chips but only 3...D'oh ) Player in LP calls my $1300 and the SB calls also. Turn is a blank and I bet out $2000, LP calls and I'm hopeing she has AJ. River is a 4, I look down at my chips and go all in again, she calls with A4 and had rivered 2 pair. I didn't have her covered, but left her with $400. Now I'm well over $10K. From here on I'm able to cruise most of the way. Till we are down to 5 and I take an $4500 hit when my TT loses to AKs (to the lady I had left with $400). That hit takes me down to 2nd in chip count, but I keep stealing blind and picking up pots that no one wants to get me back close to first. Then hand of the night takes place for me. Down to 3 players I get J8os on the button. I raise to $3000 with blinds of $800/1500. SB calls and BB (small stack) folds. I got just what I wanted HU with the chip leader. Here is what I now love about NL poker live. I don't remeber the flop turn or river on this hand. I know all the cards where below 10 and no flush or str8s out there. On her call I put her on overcards. So on the flop I bet out again with $2000. She calls. I beat $4000 on the turn, and from the way she looked I knew she didn't have a piece of the flop nor did I, but she called. River comes a blank so I push all in....All I can think is Mike on he's WSOP casting call! Not sure how long it was, but felt like forever. When her hand grabs her cards and mucks them to the dealer. She just folded away 3/4 of her stack to me. I wanted to show my bluff so bad, but I muck and start stacking chips. A few hands later I'm able to finish her off with TT this time and the very next hand get the small stack to go all in preflop as I look down at KK. It was a nice rush to win, and I think I'm going to try and play some more events in this league. The bar owners had a great set up (even had dealers), and I enjoyed the night of poker. I'd don't think I really gave off any tells last night, and did notice that I was the only one waited to look at my cards till it was my turn to act, and the aggression for the most part paid off.

Friday Night Freeroll!

2005-01-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Yes I am playing a freeroll at 11 pm on a Friday night. I started out just going to play a two table SnG on PokerStars then hit the sack, but for some reason I've signed up to this freeroll. Lets see if I can give you a play by play and not bore you to death at the same time!

Time to kick of this Freeroll at Poker Host. 117 players battling for 3 cash spots of $20, $10, and $5 (no I'm not drunk). I have played one of these before just to test out the software. I went all in on my first hand equal to 20 (AQos) and busted out 57th. On the second hand of action I see 67s vs 56s split a pot with trip sixes. In my first chance to acted I get raise out of my BB with J7s with a bet of $62. The slider is a little hard to control. After my 4th hand I get moved to a table with my good buddy Vatrlrman. This should be fun now! Where get gets sucked out on the first hand I see him play. His KQ vs Q9 when the Q9 pairs on the turn. So far in 10 hands I've folded everyone of them. Did have TT in the SB but a T560 bet in front of me. I thought about going all in, but passed for a better hand.

I love playing musical chairs. In less that 25 hands I've sat at 4 different tables, but have seen a lot of players I know. Here is where boredom starts to kick in. After folding a crap load of hands in a freeroll I decide it is a good play to call a T335 raise with ATs, which does not hit for me. I've now played 2 hands and half my stack is gone. Only one think left to do...ALL IN baby. A6s seems like a good enough hand, and it is with a nice double up through A9 when I spike a 6 on the river. I love the limp in EP with A9os the a quick call to my all in. Feeling brave I raise 300 with A9s get min. Raise by QQ I go all in and get called I hit tips other player hits a full house. Next hand AA and I'm all in with T16 in chips. I win that pot and go up to T112. I have to call a reraise my BB for T12 with A7...only to get luck and hit two pair. Now at T204, Don't call it a come back yet! Right now with 46 players left I'm in 46th place. Another all in in my BB with AJos an I go down vs. AK...38 mins. of my life I'll never get back!

Been in no writing mood!

2005-01-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

What a way to end 2004, with a week plus of poker hell. I could not do anything right and when I did someone playing wrong took my lunch money! This was the 3rd time in my poker playing life that I've hit a dry run. My game seems to have 3 stages. One when I'm running red hot and can do nothing wrong, two when I have a slower profit run of 1 to 3BB/hr, and three when I get killed no matter what I do. I had a good Sunday and Monday of this week and hope I've turned the corner and am coming out of "how can I lose now stage."

One of the things I'm running into is I'm having a hard time finding the time for everything on my plate right now. I'm going to set down this week and try to lay out a better time management plan. I want to get to posting updates on my blog everyday, but have found it hard to find the time. With all the bonuses I've got to work off, I feel like I need to get 4 hours in each night. Anyone out there good at time management?

One of the things going on is the kick off of Season 3 of the 72os.com freeroll tour. I've been trying to get everything set up on it much of this week. Poker Host will be the home site of this Season's Tour. I've seen some good play for the last 2 seasons, so I don't expect any difference in this one.

Some advice that has helped me in 2004!

2004-12-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

My thoughts: (on the bubble with pocket tens).

I have to agree with Seadood on this one. For me it was too big of a gamble to risk missing the money. The blinds are going to knock someone out before you. I think you've gotten off the Bubble have force 9 other players behind you to out play you. In some MTT you're not playing for first, just take as much as you can and have some profit to show for your efforts. Plus playing as a team I would think so of the lower level wins would help play back some of the buy-ins. If the team was behind you in this play them don't be upset. I would have waited for the money, and then once in the money gamble some.

BernardDogs advice:

Often, we need mid-level money at least to break even. If Carnagex and I are rebuying, we may often need the final table I simply don't play an MTT to finish in the first round of the money. I'll take the coinflips on the bubble with the hopes of plowing through a stack shorter than me. If I miss, then I stay agressive with a few all-ins ... hoping that conservative bubble players will give me the blinds until I get some more breathing room. You just won't hit the big money in an MTT without taking the coin flip opportunities. Your other option is hoping that the cards are running incredibly well and the deck is hitting you smack dab in the forehead. That happens RARELY, so you've got to put your self in front of the deck sometimes and hope it doesn't dodge you.

This was some great advice that got me a lot more aggressive on the bubble and helped me money a lot higher in some MTTs this year.

The Art of Bluffing with a medium or small stack (My Question)

I've got no problem bluffing some when I've got a big stack late in a MTT, but with an average stack or small stack I have a harder time picking up the pots with a bluff. I find that if I don't get some good cards late in a tourney I'm going to get eaten up by the blinds and end up having to make a coin flip all in. What is the correct way to bluff when your not a big stack. I know don't go at the big stacks and postion is very important, but what are some other factors? Hands that you would bluff with? Hands to avoid bluffing with? What beat to make xBB? What to do when your bluff gets called preflop? These are just a few things I'd like to get cleared up, and any other advice on bluffing. Looking foward to learn how to bluff you!
Roxy: Try bluffing at rags from the small blind, make a good bet works best with 3 or less people. Rags are always good to bluff at.
BernardDogs: I never bluff, but I'll give this a shot. Betting the rag flop from the BB is a great play (reference, Roxy ... previous post). This is only adviseable when you get to see the flop for free and it really is unlikely to have landed for anyone else. Take caution though ... if the button limps rather than going for the steal, that's often a sign of wanting to keep you in with an overpair. Also take caution from an EP or MP limp, as it could mean a low PP that landed as a set. If I'm doing the rag flop bluff, they've GOT to by 9s and lower. It's REALLY funny to see the BB call a pre-flop raise (indicating a potential hand) and then revert to this move ... makes me laugh every time. You can also try representing strength on a REALLY tight table by raising UTG despite not having the cards. Don't do this as the short stack, as you'll want to bail should someone give you action and/or raise you. Don't be afraid to bail. Otherwise, it really is about keeping a SOLID read on your opponents, defending your blinds, and just picking the right spot to toss a nice 4xBB bet out there with the hopes of gathering the blinds. From MP on, ALWAYS consider what you'll do if you're first in so you can act in a manner that looks like you are appropriately confident. I hate to give up control of the hand if I'm bluffing. For example, if I'm defending my blind to a raise from the button that smells suspicious, I commit before the action gets to the button by deciding if I've got a defending hand or not. When the button raises, I instantly re-raise and then ALWAYS lead on the flop. This is once I've committed to the defend. Know when you've gotten to the point where you are bound to an all-in move. You want to use your all-in bluff before your all-in won't hurt to call. That's a start. But again ... I don't bluff much, so take this all with a shaker of salt.
Rick James: Also, another thing that may work is bluffing when the board pairs on the flop. If board his JJ3. I will raise anyone who makes a small bet into this pot. If someone is betting minimum, more than likely they have nothing and want to pick up the pot. they will usually back down to a raise. Most players with the J will usually slowplay the hand. The UTG raise also works if the table is really tight and you have been playing pretty tight as well. if you get called though prepare to fold if flop doesnt hit you. Someone calling an UTG raise more than likely has you beat.

Advice on staying at the tables when you get up early:

I know there has been so discussion on this in the past, but I would like to get some more thought on this matter. OK right now I'm playing 2/4 limit and get 4 hours of play every night. I want to make 2/BB an hour playing for a total of $32 a night. Say I sit and the deck hits me in the face the first orbit and I'm up $40-$60 right off the bat would you stay? Also if the table is one you fell your going to get sucked out a lot on, would you consider changing tables to a tighter table? I'm asking this cause I've seen a lot of profit get sucked out this last week after getting off to a good start. I've had many nights where I've got off to a hot start and kept on rolling the rest of the night too, but I would also like to protect a little better some nights. Thoughts please...
torch: Like I've done (and someone did for me) in these conversations, I'll point you to this link: http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/cparticles_archives.php?id=00002 Which basically says that if you are in poker for the long run, play hours and not results. For you, that means play 4 hours a night. It doesn't matter, in the long run, when you play. It just matters that you play. Of course this assumes that you are playing your 'A' game. If you can't manage that, then you should quit no matter how long you've been at the table. The fact that you've dedicated yourself with those goals is great, because its good motivation and a good way to track your progress. However the standard you should set is playing 4 hours a night, and the goal becomes the $36. Hold yourself to those hours, play your best, and it will likely come to that 2BB/hour.

Hope some of this helps you I know it has me!

Prep Time before hitting 2005 wide open!

2004-12-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm a planner, always have been always will be. I've laid out my plan for 2005 in the poker world hand have set it into motion this week. After putting $400 into Pacific Poker, I was able to cash $800 out and get a nice 500 chip set for my home games. I'm going to put $600 into FullTilt and get their 100% match, and put the rest in AP once they offer another 15% bonus. I've reached my goal in 2004 of being at $5000 by the years end. I've tapped in to some of that money to pay for Christmas, Lasik, new monitor, and set some back for my property taxes. This is going to leave me with $1800-$2000 to start fresh in the new year. My goal now is to be at 10K to 15K by July, and see if I want to consider playing full time. I'm not going to publicly track this goal dollar wise. I will be giving updates and thoughts on where I'm at, and will let you know where I stand in July.

Its also a busy time for me. I've got a bunch of private tournaments going with 72os.com. This Sunday we have a big freeroll on Jet Set poker visit 72os.com to sign up. Also season 3 will be kicking of January 9th. And I've teamed up with Absolute Poker to offer a Superbowl Freeroll that could have a prize pool over $2500 (need 100 players).

I'll have plenty of time to catch up on thing now, cash outs from Pacific seem to take a couple of days. I'll be playing some on UB working off that bonus. After 2 weeks of semi-playing poker I'm ready to get back to playing like I was.

What would it take to play Poker for a living?

2004-12-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get my thoughts together and see what it would take for be to be able to play for a living. Things to consider:

1. What size poker bankroll should I have to start?
2. What site should I play at?
3. Multi-Table ($2/4 or $3/6) Single table $5/10?
4. How should I pay myself?
5. How long could I really do this?
6. What happens afterwards when I have a years gap in employment history?
7. Insurance is not a problem!
8. What will I be saving vs. not going to work every day?
9. Am I good enough to do this for a living?

Anyone playing for a living now? What advice do you have? What have I not thought of? What are some roadblocks that you had to over come?

Harrington on Hold 'Em -- Must Reading for No-Limit Tourney Play

2004-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

by Howard Schwartz

In the past few years, several dozen new-generation poker players have made a name for themselves via books, articles, tournament play and interviews. But one name has stood the test of time for true consistency and peer-group respect. That name is Dan Harrington, the man who in 1995 won the most prestigious tournament of all, Binion's World Series of Poker. He also made it to the final table in the 2003 and 2004 events, an extraordinary feat, considering the size of the field. Now Harrington has teamed with the highly-respected Bill Robertie, known for his expertise in chess and backgammon (and now poker) with the just-released Harrington on Hold'em -- Volume 1 Strategic Play (381 pages, paperbound, $29.95). His Volume 2, titled Endgame Play, will be ready in early 2005. This book, the authors emphasize, is not for beginners.It's for the inexperienced or troubled majority who, without guidance and discipline, will fall by the wayside early on. "My goal is to teach you how to think like a poker player. Anyone can win a pot when he flops a monster. It's how you play when you don't flop one that will decide whether you're a winner or a loser," the introduction emphasizes. There are seven parts (or chapters) in Harrington's marvelous work, designed to focus on the beginning and middle stages of no-limit tournament play. The book is a vital tutorial involving reshaping and remaking the way you think about the game in regard to other players, bankroll, position and pot odds among other factors. Written in a non-technical, straightforward style, the book discusses vital areas such as the role luck plays; when to show hands and when not to and why; the various types of tournaments that exist and which are best to play, including multi-table online (small stakes vs. high stakes); which tells are most important; pot odds and hand analysis. Pertinent sections cover betting before the flop; when is the right time to play more flops with weaker hands; exploiting the "sandwich effect" and the vital, knowing when to go all in before the flop. The "texture" of the flop (good, bad and dangerous types); knowing the difference between value bets, probe bets and continuation bets get much needed attention as does betting on fourth and fifth street; followed by playing against drawing hands are also important. Yet the heart of the book (the key to putting it all together) is in the problem-question-answer format, where you are asked have you chosen the correction decision: yes, no and why? Harrington and Robertie take the poker student under their experienced wings and guide them from the nest toward becominge a successful, consistent predator. Harsh as that may sound, this is what poker is all about--surviving, winning more than losing and building a bigger and better nest to the prizes waiting at the final table.

Get it at Amazon

Poker fans would ante up to play against Pam Anderson

2004-12-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

Associated Press NEW YORK -- Pamela Anderson wins with a full house. Anderson In an online survey conducted by EmpirePoker.com, 42 percent of the Web site's VIPs selected model-actress Anderson as the celebrity they would most like to play against. "Our players clearly think Pamela Anderson isn't too bright or maybe they just want to ogle her," said Ron Burke, EmpirePoker.com's marketing manager. Dennis Rodman was a distant second with 24 percent, James Woods shuffled 13 percent, Dave Navarro was picked by 10 percent, skateboarder Tony Hawk and Matt flouron each drew 3 percent, Donald Trump was selected by 2 percent and 1 percent said Ben Affleck. Hank Azaria, Michael Ian Black, Ron Artest, Clay Aiken and Teri Hatcher also picked up votes. "Many of our respondents also said they felt they could read Dennis Rodman's expressions and didn't think he would be very competitive," said Burke in a recent statement. "Only 1 percent of our players said they would want to play against Ben Affleck. Apparently, his poker skills precede him." Well, maybe not. When asked which celebrity would be most likely to cheat at poker, 37 percent of those surveyed chose Affleck. "Our players clearly see Ben Affleck and James Woods as no-nonsense, hardcore poker players and it's quite interesting that they would seem to be the most likely to cheat," said Burke.

Book Review - Positively Fifth Street

2004-12-12T19:16:00.000-08:00

Positively Fifth Street

Positively Fifth Street tells the dream of many online poker players. Jim McManus a professor and freelance writer who is hired by to write a story the Ted Binion murder trial. Jim decides to give into “Bad” Jim try to win his way into the WSOP with his advancement for the article. He has two college aged children and two young children at home and nothing but bills. With all of the tension of the story Jim is sent to cover, his own personal tensions slowly become the center of the book, especially after he enters the tournament and goes up against famous players, including the author of Jim's favorite tournament book, TJ Cloutier. The book has you hook on both the coverage of the trail and the progress of McManus through the WSOP. I would recommend this book to anyone, poker player or not.

My Intro

2004-12-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

Age: 27

Where are you from?
Southwest Virgina, one of the hottest place on earth for poker right now!

Are you married? Children?
I've married to my High School sweet heart for almost 5 years now. We have one son Jacob who will turn 2 March 15th.

How long have you been playing Internet poker?
I began with play money in January 2004. I started playing real money in February and have been hooked since.

What limits do you play?
Right now I'm at $2/4, getting ready to move up to $3/6.

What has been your biggest poker thrill or achievement up to now?
I won a $5 MTT on UB with 550+ players in it. Also I set out on a quest to turn $75 in to $5000 by December 31st. I can say that I reached my goal in 9 months of playing online.

What are your other interests outside of poker?
I love to golf, mt. bike, and camp in the summer time.

What can people expect from your blog?
I hope this give you a little light on who I am. I plan to use this blog to post daily my thoughts, and to give some insite on the life of a grinder.

And yes I did interview myself

Inspired by scapegote...Just not a brave!

2004-06-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I ran through a "bad run of luck" not cards a couple of weeks ago. It had me in no frame of mind to sit and grind at the limit ring games like I had been. So I took a break for awhile (about 2 weeks long), during this time I did a lot of reading, poker tracker studying, and MTT playing.

During this time off I read scapegote's run a 10k and was very inspired by it. I'm not willing to put my bank roll up to make a run like that, but I did take time during my break to set down and put my poker goals down in writing for the year. I doing so I was bored and decided to put my goals and chart my progress on the web. I've not got it a 100% where I want it yet, but would like anyone’s input on information I should be tracking, or just anything you think should be changed on the site. I'm going to be posting monthly articles on my progress and going back to Feb. 2004 when I started playing for real money online. I've taken my deposit of $75 out now, but other than that no withdrawals.

Guess if you care you would like the address now: www.72os.com Thanks in advance.